When it comes to making their point(s), Rockets are confident

The Rockets took their 55th win. James Harden took another place in the record book. The Rockets rolled up 123 points in the regular-season finale, the 31st time and 30th win in which they had topped 120.

Somehow, lost in the wash of all the high scoring and higher hopes, the Rockets' final regular-season 3-for-all was easy to miss.

They had put up 56 3-pointers, the 11th time they had attempted at least 50 in a game, 11 more times than in NBA history prior to this season. They had smashed all records for 3s made and attempted in a season. They loosened up for the start of the post-season in the way most typical of their regular season.

Yet, discussion of how often the Rockets fire away from deep seemed so December that Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni took it another step further.

The Rockets put up so many 3s, he said, it doesn't matter if many go in. They'll score, anyway.

Craziest thing might have been that he was right. The Rockets made just 33.9 percent of the 3-pointers they launched on Wednesday, but took so many, they still made 19 and scored 123 points. They made at least 15 3s, more than any team averages, in half their games, going 36-5 when making at least 15 3-pointers.

By the final playoff tune-up, the Rockets believed nothing will stop them from scoring, even missing their shots.

"I just told them, "Look, I don't care how we shoot, we got up 123 points,'" D'Antoni said. "No one should feel pressure about making shots. It does not matter. We going to get up 120 points, 110, 115, whatever it is.

"Now, can we stop them? Can we rebound? Can we get back on defense? Can we do all those and not turn it over? If we don't turn it over and we can get stops, the points are there. There should be no pressure on our guys to shoot. It's the other end we really have to tighten up."

Since the start of March, the Rockets have made just 34.2 percent of their 3s, ranking just 21st in the NBA in those 21 games.

Yet, they still led the league in scoring in that stretch, with no loss of confidence.

"I'm excited, especially because it's the first time since I've been here, guys are on the same page," Harden said. "We have a coaching staff that has a system and everybody knows that system, offensively and defensively. Just the personnel as well. We have more than enough in this locker room to compete with anybody in the league."

As the Rockets head to a first-round series against the Thunder, there was even more clarity about what had to be done than concern with anything related to their offense. When asked about the keys to beating Oklahoma City, Harden said simply, "Rebound the basketball."

It could be more complicated than that, but rebounding likely will have to come first. The Thunder were second in rebounds, first in offensive rebounding percentage and first in rebounding percentage. The Rockets can be inconsistent on the boards, but have rebounded well against Oklahoma City, indicating that they can hit the boards if they put their minds to it.

With that in mind, Rockets assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik on Wednesday borrowed from Pat Riley, his old boss in Miami, and wrote on the white board, "No rebounds, no rings."

"Keeping them off the glass is a huge key for us," Rockets forward Ryan Anderson said. "In the playoffs, every possession matters. You don't want to give up offensive rebounds. You don't want to make mistakes defensively. It can definitely come down to something like rebounding. That's going to be a great battle. That's going to be something to see.

"When we can get stops, rebound and run, we're at our best. Rebounding is huge for us. When we're in transition, getting open shots, moving the ball, it's going to be tough for teams to beat us."

The Rockets also will likely have to pick up their defense. The Thunder had the 17th rated defense this season, but ranked ninth against the Rockets, averaging 109.1 points per 100 possessions, four more than they did overall this season.

That could also come down to not allowing second shots and taking care of the ball, with the Thunder and Rockets similarly high-turnover teams and high-scoring teams on offensive rebounds.

If the Rockets take care of all that, they have little doubt the offense will follow.

Though Harden has not put up his usual numbers against the Thunder - averaging 20.5 points on 34.3 percent shooting and 22.6 percent from 3-point range - the Rockets have. They averaged 111.8 points per 100 possessions this season, second only to the Warriors. The averaged 111.4 points per 100 possessions against the Thunder.

One way or another, the Rockets usually find a way to score.

"I'm not concerned (with that,)' D'Antoni said. "It would be great if we make a better percentage. That would be super. I don't think it's a determining factor.

"At the end of the day … we'll get up a lot of points whether they shoot well or not."